Tag: civil disobedience

I believe we have reached a tipping point in our nation’s current crisis. In eight months we have plunged into circumstances I would not have thought possible in our country at this point in history. We have seen our president aggressively threatening the use of nuclear weapons. We are watching the dismantling of environmental protections. Governmental actions are preventing us from dealing with ongoing climate change. White supremacist groups are growing and becoming bolder and white supremacists are advising our president. Race relations in the nation are worsening. Proposed reductions in the meager healthcare support for our citizens could mean untold suffering. Our public education system is threatened with being dismantled. Immigrants and refugees are being scapegoated for political purposes. These radical actions are fundamentally changing our country and coming at us with mind-numbing speed all engulfed in the smoke of Trump’s outrageous words and buffoonery.
History shows us events such as these can have catastrophic consequences. The demonstrations and voices of dissent across the country have not been enough to have meaningful impact. I believe we need nation-wide, non-violent civil disobedience. We need national and regional leaders willing to organize and spearhead this movement. We need local training in peaceful civil disobedience. We need people from all walks of life ready to make sacrifices and go to jail if necessary — for us and our children and their children. Placards, slogans, and memes are not enough. Reactive resistance is not enough. We must take proactive action.